If you had asked me even a year ago whether we would experience the rampant strides in AI that has made humans significantly more productive, more trusting of the technology and more willing to innovate as we march towards a more sophisticated AI, I would have my doubts.

In the last year, we have witnessed LLMs evolve and have seen the rise of Generative AI capabilities. Adoption rates with the improved technology are impressive. Here are some statistics from Hostinger:

• As of 2025, 78% of companies have adopted AI technologies, a significant increase from previous years.
• Out of 359 million companies worldwide, 280 million use AI in at least one business function.
• On average, companies are now using AI in three different functions, reflecting a noticeable increase since early 2024.

It’s safe to say that Global adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has exploded into mainstream, transforming how individuals work, create, and interact with technology.

But how useful is this adoption? While the technology is saving people and companies considerable time and money, what are the opportunity costs of this transformation and will it inflict sustainable negative downstream impacts?

For those that have tinkered with Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, there are numerous signs that technology still needs time to remedy many of its hallucinations in order to be truly trustworthy. But more than this, the impact on human beings is now front and center.

What impact does this have on human cognition if humans were to become truly addicted to these technologies and acquiescence to machine outputs? Will the value of work collaboration disintegrate if what was once “brainstorming” defaults to “ask GenAI to provide me 10 of the best topics.”

The question of trusting the code that powers our applications and our systems also becomes paramount? Will the developers’ job change to ensure better governance? If so, how? And to what extent will we enable our digital infrastructures to be created by AI?

We are excited to welcome Jing Hu to Tech Uncensored. Jing bridges the gap between AI promises and reality. A former biochemist spent years in research, then another decade as a tech product leader before becoming a trusted AI journalist. Her Substack is 2nd order thinkers. What is trustworthy and useful AI? Are we jumping the gun in embracing these technologies? We’ll also discuss the cognitive impact from increased use of Generative AI and now more sophisticated chatbots and that impending cost to human connection.

In this episode of Tech Uncensored, we speak with someone who has worked on both sides of the aisle from supporting entrepreneurs to more recently, deciding to take the leap fully into developing her own startup.

Usha Srinivasan is an Ecosystem Builder. She has worked in Economic Development for 15 years supporting startup entrepreneurs in program development through MaRS, Elevate and most recently, Brampton Venture Zone.

Usha’s always been a builder and has leveraged her network to chart a path for many founders and developed critical programs to bring founders to the next level. Along the way, in her words, she ran side-hustles–passion projects from her own consulting business, to managing a small reggae record label to running a bakery business in the Beaches area in Toronto.

Now Usha has decided to become a full-time startup founder for a talent platform called B-Ready to support the underutilization of immigrant and BIPoC talent in Ontario specifically connecting them to SME’s and startups.

This is a conversation about Usha Srinivasan's path from Economic Development to Entrepreneurship, and the lessons she's taking with her.

You’re ready to raise capital.

As a founder, the timing feels right. You’ve built momentum, gained sales traction, and investors are showing genuine interest in your technology.

The investor conversations are encouraging — they’re asking the right questions and showing serious intent. You're starting to explore what a deal might look like: how much they’ll invest, and how much of your company they’ll own in return.

Sounds promising. But how do you know what’s fair? What’s the industry benchmark for equity ownership at this early stage?

The truth is, there’s no handbook for negotiating with investors in a way that both protects your startup and sets you up for growth.

Many early-stage founders begin building relationships with strategic advisors — individuals who offer guidance without writing a cheque right away. Over time, trust builds, and these early supporters may become champions, who invest and open doors to partners, clients, and future investors.

But landing that first lead investor is rarely easy. It’s a daunting process.

What does a strong investor relationship actually look like? What red flags should you watch for? And how do you know you’ve negotiated terms that are right for your company?

Bringing on an investor is the beginning of a long-term relationship — like a business marriage. It takes consistent communication, transparency, and a willingness to have difficult conversations.

The relationship you build will shape how you achieve those results — and how much influence investors will have in that journey.

We are excited to welcome Ben Su, Co-founder of Capita.io — the first AI-powered lawyer.

Ben joined us previously to discuss automation and the future of legal services. As a lawyer and founder who’s raised capital himself, he brings a unique perspective in navigating investor dynamics.

Ben understands how critical it is for founders to recognize the signals — and decode the motivations — behind investor behaviour.

In this episode, we’ll explore the investor mindset:

• What are they really looking for?

• What does success look like to them?

• How do you negotiate value and choose the right investment vehicle at each stage?

• What’s in a term sheet — and what should you be watching for in legal agreements?

• Most importantly, what does a healthy founder-investor relationship look like?

Today, data privacy is under attack, posing a threat to democracy and each of our individual freedoms. What we’re witnessing today in the rise of illiberalism and a clear cardinal dereliction of our laws which guarantees the fundamental rights for those in democratic societies.

The current U.S. administration has moved to deregulate big tech, and shift priorities away from stricter oversight. This will give artificial intelligence the fuel to proliferate this threat to privacy.

As AI systems grew more powerful, their appetite for data intensified. Modern AI relies on vast datasets—often containing personal information—to train and refine its algorithms.

Generative AI poses new threats. These systems can be misused to create fake profiles, manipulate images, or synthesize convincing but false content, amplifying risks of identity theft and misinformation.

The new U.S. administration has fundamentally lowered the protections for US citizens, deregulated big tech in favor of less access restrictions to data, with an Executive Order that seeks to prioritize the global AI race – over robust ethical and privacy protections, which effectively reduces the guardrails for BigTech.

We are pleased to welcome Abigail Dubiniecki, Privacy Lawyer, Data Strategist and Thought Leader at the intersection of data privacy, AI, politics and law.

We will tackle the implications of what’s happening in the U.S. and the spillover effects to Canada and globally. What should we expect in the coming years should the current administration continue this path. What are countries who have more robust privacy regimes doing to combat these effects? What does this mean to Canadians especially in the midst of a new government?

This episode was recorded prior to the Canadian federal election on April 28th, 2025.

We are at a critical juncture when generative AI's impact on copyright law is being hotly debated. The ambiguity surrounding AI-generated works' authorship and ownership has led to numerous lawsuits against AI companies.

As of late 2024, there were at least 30 major copyright lawsuits against generative AI companies related to image copyright infringement.

NOW, more recently, there was a landmark ruling where Thomson Reuters won a significant victory in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Ross Intelligence, a legal AI startup. Ross Intelligence, which eventually shuttered its doors because of legal costs, was found to have infringed Thomson Reuters' copyright by using their proprietary headnotes and structure to train its AI-powered legal research tool.

Professor Ben Zhao is a Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. He and his team of researchers have developed two innovative tools, Glaze and Nightshade, to address the growing concerns surrounding copyright infringement and artistic exploitation by generative AI systems. These tools aim to protect artists' intellectual property and combat the unauthorized use of their work in AI training datasets.

Zhao's tools offer artists a means to safeguard their creations and livelihoods in a time where AI systems can replicate artistic styles with increasing accuracy. Ben Zhao was named to the Time magazines TimeAI 100 List in 2024 in recognition of his contributions in the field that included Glaze and Nightshade.

We are excited to welcome Ben Zhao to speak to us about Glaze and Nightshade, his motivation for spearheading these initiatives and what the broader implications are for a rapidly evolving technology that has the continues to disrupt our current laws and challenge our systems and our society

AI has gained significant momentum in service professions, especially in the legal sector, has attracting substantial venture capital investment and transforming traditional workflows.

In 2023 survey, 73% of legal professionals said planned on integrating AI into their legal work. Lawyers commented that these tools are becoming increasingly significant in their daily work, as legal solutions are able to quickly handle large volumes of data and analyze complicated legal issues. 

Venture capitalists are heavily investing in AI-powered legal tech startups, with funding in the sector reaching new highs in 2024. We saw 58 deals in legal tech with a total capital investment of $477 million. The appeal for VCs lies in the fact that 44% of legal work could potentially be automated by emerging AI tools. Startups like Harvey, raised a $100 million in their Series C round at a $1.5 billion valuation. 

The implications for the legal profession are significant. AI is reshaping traditional  workflows, with 70% of professional services respondents already seeing benefits from AI-powered technologies in tasks such as research, drafting, and document summarization. However, there remains some trepidation with 25% of professional respondents seeing artificial intelligence as a threat. 

Ben Su, a legal tech entrepreneur, founder of Capita, the world’s first AI Lawyer. Su argues that the true potential of AI in legal services goes beyond mere efficiency gains. Su envisions AI eliminating workflows entirely and creating proactive, always-on systems that solve legal problems before they arise. He contends that the legal industry is stuck in outdated systems and that the real opportunity lies in building AI-driven solutions that fundamentally reimagine legal services. 

While Su's vision is more radical than current market offerings, the trend towards AI adoption in this sector is clear. Law firms and legal departments not moving towards AI risk falling behind as AI begins to permeate industry. 

We are pleased to speak to Ben Su to talk about his progressive views on how AI can revolutionize the legal profession. How does he envisions his company in providing greater access and efficiency for business AND what will this mean for not only this legal profession but the future of other professions. 

At Altitude we support the growth and commercialization of early stage startups.

We want to celebrate one company, MyCoFutures, and its founders, Stephanie Lipp and Leo Gillis. MyCo Futures is a materials innovation startup now based in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 2021, MycoFutures specializes in developing a sustainable, mycelium-based leather alternative for the fashion industry. Stephanie and Leo transitioned from running a gourmet mushroom farm to leading this biotechnology venture.

The company's product, Myco™, is a circular and organic material grown from the root system of fungi, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional leather and synthetic materials.

Today the company has been operational for approximately five years and has realized increased visibility in the cleantech and sustainable materials sectors.

We are excited to welcome Stephanie Lipp and Leo Gillis to talk about their journey from their roots to entrepreneurship, establishing a gourmet mushroom and their pivot to the clean tech space.

In early February 2025, the United States, under Donald Trump, imposed significant tariffs on Canadian imports. Effective February 4, these tariffs included a 25% duty on general goods and a 10% duty on energy resources from Canada. The stated rationale was to pressure Canada to enhance border security and curb illegal drug flows into the U.S. This, we now know, is a red herring.

The implementation of the proposed tariffs has been subject to multiple delays with threats of retaliations happening in the midst of negotiations between Canadian and US officials. On March 4, the U.S. tariffs were finally enforced, and simultaneously, Canada's first phase of retaliatory tariffs of 25% on $30 billion worth of American exports into Canada had taken effect.

Just two days later, on March 6, Trump announced a delay in tariffs on goods compliant with the CANADA – US - MEXICO Agreement until April 2. This move was in response to the pressure from the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, who told the president of their grave concerns of tariffs on the auto sector.

Throughout February and March, a continuous cycle of threats and counter-threats persisted between Canada and the US.

On April 2, 2025, several significant events are set to occur in the ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the United States:

1) The U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, which were partially paused on March 6, 2025, are expected to fully resume. This means that the 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and the 10% tariff on Canadian energy products will be fully implemented.

2) Canada's second wave of retaliatory tariffs is expected to take effect. This includes 25% tariffs on $125 billion worth of US-origin goods imported into Canada.

3) The temporary exemption for Canadian goods compliant with CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), which began on March 7, 2025, is set to expire.

This has already had reverberations across the Canadian business sector. We are witnessing increased costs, supply chain disruptions, businesses already experience immediate impacts on demand and the resulting loss in market share. Talks of cutting production capacity, reducing workforce and postponing planned business investments are adding to this increased uncertainty.

There are many questions among Canadian small businesses on the revenue implications on their own operations in the short term and to what extent will this impact their survival in the long term. What should they know and what should they do to prepare.

We are pleased to welcome Brigitte LeBlanc LaPointe, Partner specializing in cross-border M&A and venture capital financing, of Norton Rose Fullbright, a global law firm that specializes in key industries including financial institutions, energy, infrastructure, transport, and technology to name a few.

We will be dissecting the legal implications for business when it comes to these US tariffs as Canadians await the arrival of April 2nd, 2025.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has decided to end its third-party fact-checking program. This move was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a video titled “More speech and fewer mistakes.” According to Zuckerberg, the decision to remove fact-checking is driven by the belief that fact-checking organizations have been politically biased and have undermined trust.

Instead of relying on third-party fact-checkers, Meta will implement a new system called “Community Notes.” This system, similar to the one used by X (formerly Twitter), will allow users to add context and corrections to posts that may contain misleading information.

Fact-checking organizations have rejected accusations of liberal bias and emphasized that they never had the authority to remove content or censor posts, claiming Meta was always the ultimate arbiter of content moderation decisions.

The shift to Community Notes has raised concerns among misinformation experts and digital rights groups, climate change activists who argue that this change could lead to an increase in misinformation on Meta’s platforms. Some researchers argue Community Notes are not effective.

Meta’s decision to end fact-checking has been in response to a change in political landscape in the US, aligned with a trend towards less regulated and more freewheeling internet content.

While opponents scream “free speech” over content moderation, there are grave implications on the three + billion active users on the platform. We are pleased to welcome:

Eryk Salvaggio, author of the Cybernetic Forests newsletter. He is a researcher, writer and artist who examines the social and cultural impacts of technology.

He is a visiting professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Humanities, Computers and Design as well as the emerging technologies research advisor for the Siegel Family Endowment and is a 2025 Fellow with Tech Policy Press.

Maria Amelie is cofounder and CEO of Factiverse. Pioneering solutions for live fact-checking and news, video and audio due diligence. They help media, finance, and government to verify crucial content and mitigate legal and branding risks.

There are numerous articles, opinions, and perspectives about how to effectively pitch to investors. What elements should be included? Content is just one side of the equation. However, when you pitch to investors, you only have a short window to create an impression. How you pitch is just as important as what you pitch.

Delivering a compelling pitch is important for startups seeking investment, selling to prospective partners, and customers. A well-crafted pitch can make the difference in securing funding, winning an important contract, and not missing out on vital resources. However, many startups fall short in making an impact.

Why is it important?

A compelling pitch often is the first impression a startup makes on potential investors or partners. A strong pitch can spark interest, initiate meaningful conversations, and ultimately lead to the funding necessary for a startup's success. While you need to adapt your presentation based on your audience, your pitch style should be compelling regardless.

In this episode, we focus on how founders can enhance their pitch presentations:

Once you’ve created that presentation how do you frame ideas around the content to create interest?

What strategies can you include to engage your audience?

Can you exude the confidence and the same passion as when you started your venture?

What is the difference between being overly prepared and relaxing into the material you already know?

How you articulate, the tone of your voice, body language and gestures make all the difference.

We will talk about what a perfect pitch style looks like.

I am pleased to be joined this week by Jody Yvonne, he is Founder and Chief Strategy Consultant for SAY strategies, a boutique public affairs firm. Jody has experience in both the public and private sectors. He’s been a professor of Philosophy and Communications, he’s worked in the legal sector as a Communications Advisor and was Head of Public Affairs with a large Canadian nonprofit organization. Jody has been a speech writer and presentation consultant for a variety of clients from small startups and founders to large c-suite executives including the Honourable Doug Ford, premiere of Ontario, Toronto Mayor John Tory, and other speakers and dignitaries. He has provided media support to the office of the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper as well as to Canada’s former privacy commissioner, Chantal Bernier. He is also part of our client advisory team at Altitude Accelerator.